Egypt to change street name called after Ottoman leader

Egyptian authorities decided to omit the name of a street east of Cairo that is named after Ottoman leader Selim the first.

Selim I was the Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1512 to 1520. His reign is notable for the enormous expansion of the Empire.

Cairo Governor Atef Abdel Hamid took the step in response to an Egyptian history professor who demanded that the street located in a Cairo district called El-Zeitoun should have its name changed.

Professor Mohammed Sabry al-Daly argued that ‘it is not right’ to call it after an Ottoman leader who “was the first colonizer of Egypt.”

Daly said Selim I conquest of Egypt had it the country lose its sovereignty and turned it merely into an Ottoman province just like any other state.

He also noted that Selim I had killed thousands of Egyptians who defended their nation against the conquest.

Selim I entered the city of Cairo on January 23, 1517. His soldiers carried the red flags of the Ottoman Empire, and Mamluk ruler of Egypt, Toman Bai, who fought along with the Egyptians and his army the Ottomans.

The Ottomans fired at the Egyptians, and clashed with Toman Bai’s army, killing more than 50 thousand people. Selim I ordered that Toman Bai should be killed by hanging, and appointed himself as ruler of Egypt.